Tuesday, June 1, 2010

The search for The Ultimate BPOilmegeddon Image is over and we have declared a winner.

The AquamanBP comic book cover now making the rounds is the hands down classic. With small details like the June date in the right hand corner and the 12 cent cover hearkening back to the 1960's and a time when oil and household chemicals were our friends.

To whoever the mystery creator is behind this first rate BP image slam we say a hearty thank you.

Cannot wait until there's a T-shirt available we'll will buy a few dozen for friends and family.

The irony here being that the logo will have to be created out of an oil based product, damn you irony!

Sea Stewards is proud to join hundreds of other educational institutions, conservation organizations, and thousands of individuals in dozens of countries around the world to celebrate our shared ocean. World Oceans Day – officially held on June 8th of each year – is an opportunity to celebrate our world ocean and our personal connection to the sea.

The Ocean Project, an international network of over 1,000 aquariums, zoos, museums, and conservation organizations including SEA Stewards, the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary association and the Surfrider Foundation, is working closely with the World Ocean Network to coordinate activities worldwide under the theme “Oceans of Life – Protecting Sharks, Reducing Plastics” with a special focus on getting the public to connect with sharks to conserve the world’s oceans.

To celebrate a healthy San Francisco Bay and Ocean Sea Stewards will host a beach clean up and shark sandcastle building, and a shark party with films, music and fun to follow.

WHEN: June 5th, 2010, Beach Clean up 3 PM, Shark Party 5 PM

WHERE: Beach Event at Crissy Field across from the Sports Basement and Party at the Sports Basement at the Presidio

Great Live Music with My Peoples formerly Kapakahi, drink with Sierra Nevada and Barefoot Wines, pupus, Ocean Films on Plastics and Sharks, Special Sharky Guest. All items 10% off and a percentage goes to the shark program.

WHY:We can help make others more aware of the importance of the world’s ocean in their daily lives by showing them ways to improve their impact on the ocean by, for example, reducing plastics use, and limiting CO2 emissions. In joining with thousands of people all over the world in celebrating World Oceans Day, we can make a real difference for our oceans of life! --David McGuire, DirectorSeaStewards.orgSupport our Shark Conservation Campaign"Media for a Healthy Ocean"415.350.3790

Oceaneering has joined the SERPENT (scientific and environmental ROV partnership using existing industrial technology) project to collect images of unknown deep sea creatures and rarely seen organisms, evaluate the offshore drilling environment, and gather sediment samples.

The SERPENT project is a collaboration of scientific partners, institutions, and a network of oil and gas operators and contractors who specialize in utilizing remotely operated vehicles (ROVs).

The SERPENT Project’s Dr. Daniel Jones confirmed the sea creature to be a deepwater swimming sea cucumber (holothurian) called Enypniastes eximia. When Oceaneering ROV pilots saw the creature they named it “The Headless Chicken Fish,” although it does not have a commonly accepted name.

Editors Note: As a solo female diver from Finland we were excited to meet SannaJuntunen in person last year.

Fun, adventurous, and always ready for the next shark rotation, nothing could stop this exceptional adventure seeker from discovering her "moment of white shark bliss."

From Finland to Isla Guadalupe – September 8-12-2009

"If we can dream it, we can do it”. This is a phrase I saw in Disneyworld, Florida almost 20 years ago and the same phrase came into my mind again last year when I was looking information about great white shark diving at Isla Guadalupe. "Should I finally make it happen? Well..why not!”

I was aware of the "shark finning situation” and the need of ongoing research and wanted to find an operator that really takes these things seriously and gives effort to saving these beautiful animals and also knows how to work on site on sharks condition. From these basis, Shark Diver came out the most convincing option. A decision I never had to regret.

After almost 7000 miles of travelling I was finally on board MV Horizon on my way to Isla Guadalupe. Seeing ”the shark fin rock” the next morning and hearing Shark Diver CEO Patric Douglas saying ”Welcome to the island!” was the moment I had been waiting for the last ten months.

Less than one hour later I was in a cage with my camera admiring the underwater sights and waiting for the first sharks to appear. Finally, during the second rotation, I saw a dark shadow coming towards the cage and after a couple of seconds it was no longer a shadow..it was the most gorgeous creature I could ever imagine. The shark swam slowly past the cage and I could see it curiously looking at us. Suddenly it was gone but only for a short moment. During the day more sharks appeared and they continued to circle around the vessel and the cages the whole time we had rotations.

All three days of diving were incredible and offered an amazing opportunity to take photos and video and see how the sharks behave in their natural environment. When there are only a couple of inches between you and a 14-foot shark that looks straight into your eyes it makes you feel humble and privileged to be able make this visit to the world of the great whites. There are no words to describe that feeling!

If I can remember correctly we saw a total of 13 different sharks. Also a very big plus was the second night when marine biologist Mauricio Hoyos-who does a great work with the sharks-gave us a very informative lecture about his research at Isla Guadalupe. Now I also know how ”Mau” got his name;-)!

On the last day the crew gave us an opportunity to take a boat ride to have a closer look of the island and it's other inhabitants: sea lions and elephant seals among other things. A very nice extra! At this point I want to say a BIG thank you for the whole crew: Spencer and Wayne, Aaron and Cary, Mark and Mike (great food!) and divemaster Martin. You guys were always there to offer your help and made this trip even more successful!

And Patric from Shark Diver, thank you very much for being so helpful from the moment I contacted you. With your help it was a lot easier to make all the required arrangements and it was also great to meet you in person!

After all, the trip was everything I expected and even more! Hopefully in the future I will have an opportunity to get more shark diving experiences. "If we can dream it..."